Elsi Horton

Memorial service for Elsi Horton, age 68, of Sulphur Springs, Texas, will be held at 10:00 A.M. on Tuesday, June 2, 2026, at Murray-Orwosky Funeral Home with Rev. Ed Lantz officiating. Visitation will be held from 5:00 to 7:00 P.M. Monday, June 1, 2026, at Murray-Orwosky Funeral Home. Mrs. Horton passed away at Christus Mother Frances in Tyler, Texas, on Thursday, May 28, 2026.

Elsianne Graves Horton passed away surrounded by family on Thursday, May 28, 2026. She was born on March 17, 1958, in Sulphur Springs, Hopkins County, Texas, to Verdon and Jerry (Lemon) Graves. She grew up on College St. and spent time running around with her brothers and neighbors, helping out on the family farm and family drugstore. In the summers she would ride horses and go to summer camp.

By high school, Elsi was a good tennis player, advancing to regionals multiple years and narrowly missing a shot at advancing to a state tournament. She was later inducted into the Wildcat Hall of Honor for tennis in 2016. She was also elected a Yell Leader in 1974, and she was homecoming queen her Senior Year. She also enjoyed spending her high school summers taking backpacking trips and water skiing, with ski trips in the winter.

She started college in the Fall of 1976 at Texas Wesleyan University on a tennis scholarship, transferred to the University of Texas at Austin, and completed college at the University of Texas Medical Branch, School of Allied Health, in Galveston, Texas, earning her bachelor’s degree and later a license in physical therapy. She was a lifelong Texas Longhorns fan and enjoyed watching the Red River Rivalry with her dad, who went to the University of Oklahoma.

Elsi started working as a physical therapist with a specialization in pediatric physical therapy. Her career took her to Denton, TX, where she eventually met Darrell Horton. Their courtship began on the tennis court in 1986, and they were married two years later in 1988 and were members of Trinity United Methodist Church - Denton. They moved to Sulphur Springs in 1999 and raised their family there.

Elsi loved people deeply, and everyone who had the privilege of knowing her was blessed by her kindness, warmth, and generous spirit. This was evident through her involvement in local service organizations, the American Physical Therapy Association, the North East Texas Choral Society, and the First United Methodist Church Choir. Later in life, Elsi and Darrell helped start Grace Methodist Church, where she was a faithful member. Her faith and love for others were evident throughout her life.

When not doing something in Sulphur Springs, Elsi enjoyed spending time with her family. She, Darrell, and the kids would take family vacations to Lake DeGray State Park in Arkansas, traveling there over a dozen times. She also enjoyed the annual family reunions for the Bassham, Graves, Lemon, and Walker families.

Elsi is survived by her husband, Dr. Darrell Horton; daughters, Tiffany Horton; Grace Lyon and husband Jared; son, Will Horton and wife Abby; grandchildren, Ashton Brown, Silas Lyon; mother, Jerry Graves; brothers, David Graves, Boyd Graves and wife Lynn; sisters-in-law, Danita Graves, Nancy Bauman, Terry Cody and husband Richard; aunt, Patsy Orwig; uncle, Rawlings Lemon; and numerous nieces, nephews, great-nieces, great nephews, and cousins. She is also survived by her special friends, Lonnie Fox and Kamilla Fenati.

She was preceded in death by her father; brother, Merrill Graves; brother-in-law, Jimmy Bauman; uncle, Richard Orwig; nephew, Dylan Graves; cousin, Ricky Orwig; and aunt, Mickey Lemon.

We are grateful to all her care teams that provided medical care to Elsi.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the following:

Grace Methodist Church online at https://gracemethodistchurch.breezechms.com/give/online or sent by mail to Grace Methodist Church, P.O. Box 132, Sulphur Springs, TX 75483; or UT MD Anderson Cancer Center, P.O. Box 4486, Houston, TX 77210-4486 or https://gifts.mdanderson.org/Default.aspx?tsid=8443. Elsi requested gifts to be designated to Cancer Research.

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